Shattered Pasts
by Fireyes
Summary: Bear with me, this is my first fic. Some instances are similar to the show because I have new characters and I thought it would help to have the familiarity. A tribe called the Fireflies returns to the city (series 4-AU) and tries to get on with change
1. Invasion

Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to the Tribe, nor am I in any way affiliated with the show or Cloud 9.  
  
Story: Okay, this story takes place at the beginning of series 4 and is an AU fic of the happenings (with a few things drawn from the show to give it some familiarity). I have created a tribe and a few other characters, but I have been told it is fairly well written and has a great plot. So, PLEASE give it a chance?  
  
Familiar Pairings: Cloe/Ved, Ram/Ebony, some Pride/Salene ```````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````` `````````````````````````````  
I: Invasion  
  
The sun rose over the horizon, slowly shedding light on the buildings and streets. The city buzzed with the chaos of an all-out invasion. Strange people wearing masks and militant black uniforms drove tanks and trucks through the streets, terrorizing and picking up the fleeing citizens. Commander Jay reported that the 'First Phase' was successfully underway while his cheeky younger brother Ved oversaw the loading of the trucks, sparing no obnoxious remark.  
  
"These Virts aren't even fighting back, It's no fun if they just queue up and submit." Ved complained after he had unsuccessfully tried to get a rise out of the boarding captives.  
  
"Oh don't worry little brother, we're sure to get a little resistance sometime soon." Jay reassured. It never failed, in every city they'd been to, some bunch of locals always opposed their operations.  
  
"They're just Virts Jay, how much damage could they do?"  
  
"You'd be surprised. Just...be careful."  
  
"Yeah sure." Ved rolled his eyes as his older brother moved forward to check on the proper progress of things.  
  
It had been awhile since they'd seen the city, but Aspen felt that she and her tribe needed to return. Much had passed while they were in the bush, The Chosen had come, she and her own had retreated to the wilds. Now, the threat that had driven them out no longer existed, so they all wanted to be back in the familiarity of their old urban home. They crept along one of the cinderblock walls that formed the outer edges of the city, listening to the attack.  
  
"We can't stay here." Kestryl whispered nervously.  
  
"We're not leaving again, it was agreed that we should come back." Falcon hissed and looked to their leader for further instruction.  
  
Aspen thought for a moment and gave the signal to follow. She led them down into the city covertly and stooped behind a pile of junk.  
  
"Listen up. We go to the subway; do you remember the place? In case we get lost, that's where we'll meet." She whispered. The nine members of the Firefly tribe said their farewells before parting ways. "Take care all of you and remember your tribe, we're a family and no one gets left behind." Aspen told her companions, looking each of them in the eyes before taking Coda and disappearing around a corner. 


	2. Abduction

II: Abduction  
  
The MallRats were in a bad way. Alice, May, Tai-San, and Amber and Bray were all missing. Lex and Ellie mourned their loved ones while Ebony tried in vain to rally the city against this new threat. Jack and Pride tried to comfort Ellie while Lex argued with Salene on the best course of action. Lex thought they should all get out there, attack with force and rescue his wife, but Salene thought that maybe they should take things a little slower and meet with the tribal leaders-the MallRats agreed.  
  
"Lex and I can go out and assemble the tribe leaders and bring them back here. Better prepare a speech, Miss City Leader." Pride told Ebony before he and the sheriff left on assignment. A few minutes later KC brought in Dee, a member of the now-disbanded Mozquito tribe. "I found her wandering the streets guys." He reported. Ebony looked at Dee. "Where's your tribe, where's Moz?" She asked.  
  
"I don't know, most of them were taken by those big trucks. Moz disappeared in the confusion and I got away." Dee explained. The MallRats all looked at each other with concern.  
  
Aspen and Coda continued on their way through the streets openly now because they were in an undisturbed district. They walked along, picking through the occasional rubbish pile or stepping over debris. After a bit they found themselves on straight clear road.  
  
"It's too quiet, it doesn't feel right." Coda worried and Aspen nodded her head. He was right; unseen eyes were marking their passage.  
  
"Just keep walking." She said quietly and looked around.  
  
The city hadn't changed much, she noticed. Graffiti still covered the buildings, trash still lined the streets, the only real differences she saw were in the form of CHOSEN graffiti and posters proclaiming the late Zoot a god.  
  
"What's happened here anyway? This Chosen tribe make some kid a god, wreak havoc on the city with brainwashing and enslavement and just when they leave, the place is overrun by guys in metal masks who are driving trucks and flying aeroplanes!" Coda commented as they stopped to scrutinize one of the ZOOT propaganda posters.  
  
The sound of vehicles approaching sent the two of them behind the next corner, which led into an alley. They watched a small convoy of covered trucks move down the street until it disappeared from sight. Each could remember seeing glimpses of people, captives, held in the trucks and hoped the rest of their tribe was safe. 


	3. Do Your Job!

III: "Do Your Job!"  
  
Ved was lounging around the Techno command center with a few of the other officers. They were playing a computer game instead of doing their job, which was to monitor the surveillance cameras.  
  
"Man, this is so boring!" He complained. Whaddaya say guys, up for a trip into town?"  
  
"No going into town Ved, that's an order, it isn't safe yet. As for your boredom, maybe it would be a little more exciting if you actually did your job." Jay scolded; he'd just come in from duty and heard his brother's comments.  
  
"All of you get to your tasks. Ved, turn on the cameras, now." He ordered.  
  
"Nothing's even happening, see?" Ved insisted as he turned on the camera view, but there was something there. Two virts, one male and one female were walking through the city. One was about as tall as Ved, with tousled blond hair. He wore khakis, a baggy blue shirt and sturdy leather boots, there were five yellow and orange paint slashes diagonally across his eyes and nose. The other virt, the girl, was about five-two with dark brown hair which was twisted into rope-like strands and adorned with a few feathers. She wore black pants, what seemed like a black shirt, the same style boots as her companion and an olive green military jacket. The marks on her face were subtler than orange and yellow slashes, she had black tear lines from her eyes and a thin white paint ribbon from her right eyebrow swirling delicately down her cheek. Both virts also wore a distinct tribal marking- three red lines of unequal length on the left cheek.  
  
"Who are they then? You should've been watching the cameras, Ved." Jay said sternly as he watched the screen.  
  
"We've already filled our quota twice over, we don't need them."  
  
"That's not the point." He told his little brother before turning and walking out.  
  
"Ooh Ved, Jay didn't sound too happy with you." Siva said as she and Java came over to finish their report for Lord Ram.  
  
"Yeah, well." He said half-heartedly.  
  
"He never has any fun either, does he? It's always work, work, work, so serious. You ought to tell him to lighten up once in awhile." Java added  
  
"Tell me about it." Ved sighed.  
  
The two sisters just looked at each other and smiled before moving on to the next work terminal.  
  
Pride and Lex had successfully rounded up most of the tribal leaders and brought them back to the mall, but they were still missing a few: Moz of the Mozquito tribe, and the leaders of the Jackals and the Demon Dogs, among others. They were scouring the streets in search of the elusive tribes to no present avail.  
  
"Leave it to the worst tribes to be so difficult to find." Lex complained, bored of the assignment already. It was definitely proving to be an arduous task.  
  
"Yeah," Pride agreed as they turned a corner and ran right into Aspen and Coda.  
  
"Hey watch it!" Lex snapped and shoved Coda away.  
  
"Who do you think you are, talking to him like that? Stupid creep!" Aspen spat, she wasn't about to get bullied around by anyone now that they were back on what she considered familiar turf.  
  
"I'm the sheriff, I can do whatever I want around here." Lex countered.  
  
"Well there sure wasn't a sheriff before I left the city, what a fine welcome home!" She said acidly, eyeing the two of them with skepticism.  
  
"Who are you?" Pride asked. Even if Lex didn't care, he was certainly interested in who this stranger was. After all, he still thought of himself as a newcomer at times and thought it best to welcome these two rather than make any more enemies.  
  
"My name's Aspen." She glared at Lex before turning to answer Pride. "I'm the leader of the Firefly tribe, we left when those Chosen guys came, but now we've come back. This is Coda, my second in command."  
  
Lex's expression softened. "The Fireflies, isn't that the tribe that went up against the Demon Dogs during those disappearances a while back? Their leaders fought it out in a furious battle to the death or something, right?"  
  
"Or something, that isn't quite how I remember it, though."  
  
"I thought you were a guy." Lex told her and she laughed lightly. "Uh, no." She said.  
  
"Wait a second, if you're a tribe leader, you need to come with us to the Mall. Ebony's due to make a speech to the city about these Techno people. Pride informed them.  
  
"Ebony?"  
  
"She's City Leader. Why, do you know her?"  
  
"Yeah, and I don't trust her."  
  
"I know what you mean." Pride said as Lex led the way back to the Mall.  
  
When the four of them walked into the front doors, they could see that the council was already assembled. The leaders that they hadn't been able to find had heard the news anyway and come on their own. There were easily about fifty people in the Mall's main entryway. Aspen found a seat at the far end of a long table. Ebony was already addressing the mottled assortment of tribal chiefs, some of which were getting fairly agitated and their arguments escalated into heated bouts. Lex whistled loudly and everyone turned their attention toward him.  
  
"Listen up! Every minute all of you argue is a minute we could be using to find our loved ones. So settle down and listen to what Ebony has to say."  
  
"Okay. I know that all of you have lost people, we've lost people too, but we can't just attack these Technos blindly and hope to win."  
  
"Then tell us what we ought to do, then." Demanded the Jackals' leader and the others nodded in agreement, they were all waiting for Ebony to say something they liked and it wasn't happening. They were beginning to get angry and tired of sitting listening to empty words.  
  
"Look, they've got tanks and planes and sophisticated technology we can't even begin to understand. We wouldn't stand a chance against their weapons okay, if they've set up cameras all over the city and done everything they have so far in such a short time, what else are they capable of?"  
  
"That's exactly why we need to take action!" Aspen said forcefully and stood up to make herself known. Her comment set the council talking all at once. Ebony held up a silencing hand and looked to the end of the table.  
  
"And who are you?" She asked with visible annoyance.  
  
"You know who I am, Ebony."  
  
The City Leader forced a smile. "Aspen, so it is you. I must say that I'm surprised to see you here. After being gone so long I don't expect you to know what's been going on, so why don't you let all of us handle this?"  
  
"I know enough of what's going on. I know the Technos have overrun the city, I know they've probably got my entire tribe," She paused to look apologetically at a surprised Coda, who breathed out deeply. "And I know that I won't just lie down while they dominate us. From what I hear Ebony, you're city leader, so cut the flowery speeches and do your damned job. Protect your city while you still have one. Come on Coda..." Aspen and Coda took leave of the council while the room became more unruly than ever. Ebony looked with scorn after them and shook her head. 


End file.
